Police Arrest Second Teen-Ager in Slaying of Gang Member

Huntington Park police have arrested a second teen-ager suspected of aiding in the murder of a gang member who killed an 11-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting last month, investigators said.

Jesus Munguia, 20, was shot at point-blank range by a fellow gang member who may have feared retaliation for the girl’s death from the Mexican Mafia, a prison gang that has ordered other gang members to cease drive-by shootings or face punishment, according to one veteran law enforcement official.

Huntington Park police arrested the 17-year-old suspected triggerman on Sunday and the second suspect, 15, who they say drove the shooter to Munguia’s house, late Monday. Munguia and the two suspects in custody are all members of the Florencia gang, said Detective Cosme Lozano.

“The word on the street was that if Florencia didn’t clean their own house, the green light would go on,” Lozano said, referring to the prison gang’s decision to target gang members who disobeyed its orders.

Munguia allegedly was the gunman who fired an assault rifle at 11-year-old Erika Izquierdo’s house Oct. 27. The child was struck as she lay in a hammock with her father. Two of her teen-age friends were wounded.

Lozano said the two juveniles and a third suspect who is still at large pulled up to Munguia’s house Saturday morning, coerced him outside and executed him.